Definition
见利忘义 means 'to forget moral principles when seeing profit' — it describes someone who abandons ethics for personal gain. Unlike 急功近利 (shortsighted pursuit of quick results), the focus here is on betraying one's values; unlike 损人利己 (harming others for profit), the harm may be to principles rather than directly to people.
idiom
to forsake moral principles for the sake of profit
Examples
- 见利忘义，。Tā zhège rén jiàn lì-wàng yì, qiān wàn bié hé tā zuò shēngyi.He's someone who abandons principles for profit — don't ever do business with him.
- 见利忘义，。Gōngsī rúguǒ jiàn lì-wàng yì, chízǎo huì shīqù kèhù de xìnrèn.If a company prioritizes profit over ethics, it will sooner or later lose customer trust.
- ，。Zài jùdà de lìyì miànqián, néng jiānchí yuánzé bù jiàn lì-wàng yì de rén hěn shǎo.Few people can stick to their principles and not forget morality when faced with huge profits.
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